Spring clip for railway signal torpedoes



T.B.DUTCHER SPRING CLIP FOR RAILWAY SIGNAL TORPEDOES April 8, 1930.

Filed Aug. 5, 1029 Patented Apr. 8, 1930 ire THOMAS B. DUTGHER, OF VERSAILLES, PEllTNSYLVANIA SPRING CLIP FOR RAILWAY SIGNAL TORPEDOES Application filed August 5, 1929. Serial No. 383,583.

This invention relates to improvements in spring clips for railway signal torpedoes and it particularly pertains to the special construction of the spring combined with the special construction of means for uniting the spring to the torpedo/case.

lit is well known to those skilled in this art that railway signal torpedoes are attached to the tread of the rails by spring clips and by lead or analogous strips, and that in either event the ends of the clips fold under the head of the rail.

The above two methods for connecting torpedoes with the railroad rail have been in use for from twenty to thirty or more years, and during all that time it has been well known to those skilled in this art that consid- 'erable diificulty is caused in attaching a spring clip with a torpedo having a fibre or paper case containing the explosive.

Heretofore the spring clips have been attached in many ways, but the difficulty in attaching these spring clips is occasioned be cause of the cost. it is well known that torpedoes sell at from two to four dollars per gross, and when this amount has been divided between the forming of the case, the mixing and forming of the explosive tablet, the wrapping of the tablet in the case, the strip of spring metal and forming the strip of metal in proper shape, it will be realized that it is essential that the cost must be very low in order to be adopted commercially.

Springs have heretofore sometimes been riveted to the case but this involves the cost of puncturing of the spring which will weaken the spring, and the use of a rivet and then riveting it in place, Other analogous means have been utilized.

Applicant has been engaged for a number of years in the manufacture of railway signal torpedoes and has finally conceived of and has worked out a form of spring clip and a form of a member for uniting the spring clip to the torpedo case that does not involve the intricate and expensive means heretofore used.

(larrying out the present invention I utilize a flat member of a size suitable to the torpedo case that has in its center a tongue and at each end of the tongue a relatively narrow slot in which the spring clip is placed and the free end of this tongue substantially abuts against the opening that is formed in the general manner above stated.

Other constructions form features of the present improvement as will appear from the following description.

The primary object of this improvement is to enable the spring simply to he slipped into position, and when slipped into position is there held and the plate is wrapped with the material of which the case is made.

Preferably I use a stiff fibre plate and this stiff fibre plate is boiled in oil preferably which enables the plate and its tongue to normally maintain the horizontal position and to hold the said spring clip to the torpedo case.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a torpedo case showing my spring attached to the case and in dotted lines the tongue is shown.

Figure 2 is a detached view of that portion of the spring clip that is united to the torpedo case and the plate, showing the spring in the act of being placed in position.

Figure 3 is a view showing the holding plate and the spring in position thereon to be applied to the torpedo case.

Figure t is a cross sectional exaggerated view of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional exaggerated view of Figure 1.

Referring now particularly to the drawings, 1 is a torpedo case composed of paper or fibre in which the explosive 2 is wrapped. This case as is usual is wrapped around the explosive in a manner to form portions 3 and 4 which overlap each other and have their overlapping ends cemented together. Thus far I have described only the ordinary construction.

Coming now to the present improvement which is clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3, it consists of a fibre plate 5 and a spring clip 6. This plate 5 has two narrow slots 7 cut therein cross-wise the plate and a slit 8 which forms a spring tongue 9. From this description it will be understood that the free edge of the tongue 9 can be pressed outward slightly as shown in Figure 2 and the spring clip 6 is provided with a downwardly bent portion 8, this bent portion being sufiicient to accommodate the said tongue when it assumes its horizontal position, as shown in Figure 3.

This construction enables the clip to be quickly and inexpensively attached to the plate, then the plate applied to the bottom of the torpedo and the ends 3 and 4 united to the plate and to each other bymeans of suit able cement. When thus united the spring clip 6 is firmly united to the torpedo and it cannot be moved end-wise or side-wise and serves to unite the torpedo to the head of a railway rail by expanding the ends of the spring clip and then letting them close around the head of the rail.

By means of the above construction the slots 7 are only made wide enough to accommodate the bends in the spring whereby when it is in place it is firmly held and can only be detached by pressing the tongue 9 laterally enough to permit the clip to be moved.

I wish it understood that variations can be made in this construction without departing from the spirit of the invention so long as such changes come within a liberal interpretation of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A torpedo comprising a. case portion, a plate applied to the said case portion having an intermediate transversely extending spring tongue and slots at opposite sides of the said tongue, a torpedo holding member attached to the said plate by deflecting the said tongue portion and passing the holding member between the deflected portion and the said plate, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a torpedo case of means for attaching a spring clip thereto,

' said means consisting of a plate formed of spring material, said plate having intermediately cut therein two parallel narrow slots the plate being cut at 8 in a line with the adjacent ends of the slots thus forming an ntermediate spring tongue 9, and a spring torpedo holding member 6 having a depressed portion applied to the plate by deflecting the said tongue and sliding the spring clip laterally between the tongue and the plate when the tongue immediately springs to'its normal flat positioncorresponding to the flat surface of the plate, for the purpose set forth. 3. In a railway signal torpedo the combination with a case of a platecomposed of fibre boiled in oil whereby the plate is of spring material, said plate cut in a line with one of the ends of the slots whereby a spring tongueis formed, and a spring rail engaging can be applied to the plate by deflecting the said tongue portion and when it is in the position the said tongue portion instantly retains its normal flat position in a line with the surface of the said plate.

4. In a railway signal torpedo the combination with a case of a member having formed intermediate therein two longitudinal and parallel extending slots, said member cut in a line extending from the end of one slot to the end of the other slog-whereby a tongue is formed capable of lateral movement for the admission of a rail engaging strap into said slots by deflecting the said tongue portion, substantially as disclosed.

5. In a railway signal torpedo the combination with a case of a member having formed therein two intermediate relatively narrow slots, said member being cut in a line extending transverse said slots from the end of one slotto the corresponding end of the other slot, thereby forming a spring tongue having said slots located at opposite sides of the tongue and of a length corresponding to the length of the said tongue whereby it is adapted by lateral pressure to allow the passage of a spring clip into said slots, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aifix my signature.

THOMAS B. DUTGHER.

member having an 'i-ntermedially bent por- 6 tion, wherebv the said rail engaging member 

